Category strategic - urban - architectural

Location Leeuwarden, Southeast city centre

Population 108,000 inhab.

Strategic site 19.3 ha - Project site 0.43 ha

Site proposed by ir. Abe Bonnemastichting

Owner(s) of the site public and private owners

Commision after competition Involvement in local design assignment

Team representative architect - urban planner - sociologist 

How can the site contribute to the adaptable city?

As in many other European towns and cities the city centre of Leeuwarden has undergone a transformation, both in terms of use and infrastructure. Both during the daytime and in the evening the lively atmosphere has declined: more and more retail outlets are going out of business − leading to vacancies and deterioration. Leeuwarden aspires to a dynamic development in the city centre, one that anticipates the opportunities that a changing society offers. It envisages a return to a combined residential-work function, with smaller shops, studios and offices among the housing in a way that reflects the needs of the inhabitants as well as autonomous developments.

City strategy

Leeuwarden is European Capital of Culture in 2018. Municipal spearheads are a robust city centre, sustainable and affordable housing, appropriate, new development, clever and sustainable maintenance of the public space, good accessibility and a solid cultural infrastructure. This applies to both the public space and the built environment. The objective is the preservation and restoration of the historical, visual quality and the residential function, complementary to the other city centre functions. The city council is constantly alert to ideas for an innovative approach to housing and new forms of accommodation such as communal housing for the elderly or mixed-generation housing.

Site definition

The southeast part of the city of Leeuwarden has many historical, striking buildings. But many residential properties and shop premises are vacant and/or struggling with overdue maintenance. The area deserves upgrading whereby new, sustainable uses for vacant shop premises are devised.
The study site covers the entire eastern part of the historical city centre. Within this area the “building block” (project site) − bordered by Voorstreek, Tuinen, Turfmarkt and Koningsstraat – is exemplary. However, if prefered a different concrete and relevant projet site can be chosen in order to test and visualise the proposed approach.

Future of the site in relation to the site family and Adaptability

The objective of this assignment is to develop a proposal for a generic and workable approach to the contemporary problems in historical city centres, based on this specific case in Leeuwarden. A strategic solution is requested to the present decline of the approach areas leading to the main locations in the city centre, with a detailed proposal at the level of a “city block”. This might involve connecting routes, functional transformations or creating appealing hotspots. But other ideas and methods are also equally conceivable. The focus is explicitly not exclusively on design solutions but also on the process and the creating of scenarios. It goes without saying that in the plans the exceptional qualities of the area should explicitly come to the fore. Stakeholders anticipate reflection on the feasibility of the ideas, in which an attempt should be made to balance the various interests and potentials of the partners where possible. It is the people that make the city and they have extremely diverse wishes and requirements. These needs should be endeavoured to meet as far as possible in the proposed approach.